Shades of Black the sequel to KAMG
by Ann Esthaesia
Summary: Grace, Asura, and Rave are now part of a special ops team. A fragile relationship will have to wait as powerful enemies rise up against the two Kishins. Will they survive long enough to be able to deal with the secrets that Rave is keeping? GracexAsura
1. Interruptions and Secrets

Shades of Black

**Author's note:**

**When I first came up with Grace and Rave, I thought they would just be quick one-shot- without any Asura- but it turned into a lengthy fanfic with lots 'o' Aweshie. I meant to stop it after eight chapters and move onto something else. But now I am kind of attached to the characters, both OC and cannon, and so I'm now gladly extending KAMG into a three-part or more fanfic. I might need some more OCs, but I'll ask for those guys later.**

**This took longer than I meant it to, but I have to deal with "family bonding" time taking up my schedule. And don't worry, I'm getting plenty of sleep. **

Chapter One- Interruptions and Secrets

**Grace's point of view:**

It was now three days since I escaped from the DWMA forces with the help of Rave and the Kishin Asura. Shinigami's crimes were uncovered when Maka accidentally overheard her dad and Sid talking about the Madness Readers, which were cleverly disguised as gifts to be given to Grace and Rave, to track their movements and increase the madness wavelength of the person wearing the necklace. Death the Kid arrested his own father and placed Shinigami in a high-security prison deep below Shibusen, and Kid has temporarily replaced his father as the head of the Academy. Me and Rave were back to living in our apartment, with Asura holed up in my bedroom because, even though the black blood had sped up his healing process, he was too weak to be walking around. Kid and the Death Scythes are still deciding on what to do with Asura, but I'm not very concerned about the final decision, since they did allow him to live with me and Rave for now.

"I approve of this." Asura held up one of my numerous black scarves, grinning like a happy-but-still-kind-of-creepy shark.

"Asura, please don't go through my closet." I sighed for the umpteenth time.

"What is this photo doing in here?" The first-generation Kishin trotted up to the side of my bed, holding the picture of me and Violet in that little wood frame. Sadness began to flow through me like thick, viscous poison and I focused on the bumps on the drywall instead of on the photo.

Asura observed my expression for a few seconds, and then he lowered the hand holding the frame.

"This is Violet." It wasn't a question, it was stated cautiously instead.

I answered with a monosyllabic, "Yes."

"Oh." He nodded, then added in a more concerned voice, "Would you like me to put it away?"

"...no." Instead, I took the picture out of his hand and set it lovingly down on the glass-topped side table next to my bed. I angled the snapshot so that it faced my head, which was currently resting on one of the downy pillows on my bed.

_It belongs there, close to you. _ Asura thought as he knelt down on the floor at the foot of the bed. The God of Madness folded his arms on the edge of the bed and rested his head on his forearms, watching me curiously.

"Wouldn't you rather sit on the bed?" I asked, and then saw the puzzled look on Asura's teenage face.

"I am not used to such luxuries. They make me uneasy." His eyes shut sleepily for a second or two.

I crawled across the mattress and lay on my stomach, leaning forward on my elbows with my eyes level with Asura's. The demon god shied away a little, not entirely certain of what I was trying to do.

_Its okay, _I thought soothingly.

**Asura's point of view:**

What was Grace doing? I didn't understand why she was leaning in so close, but I kind of liked the intimacy of her action. There was I special sort of look in Grace's molten-silver eyes, something that beckoned me. I hesitated for a moment, and then moved to close the short distance between our lips.

Suddenly, the door was thrown open with a noisy _creak-thap _and an unsuspecting Rave stepped in.

I recoiled in alarm and Grace tumbled off of the bed with a surprised yelp. There was a shocked silence where we turned to look at the blonde girl, who blinked rapidly, as if not believing or wanting to believe what she walked in on.

"I was just coming in here to say it's time for you to get your butts over to the dinner table, but I wasn't suspecting...whoa..." Grace's Weapon stammered, then backed out of the room as if it was wired to explode. Without taking her eyes off of me, Rave snatched the doorknob and slammed the door shut.

**Grace's point of view:**

Countless thoughts flitted about my head, tiny panicking fish inside my mind, but the one that paused long enough to be distinguished was: _Rave will never live that down._

"Are you hurt, Grace?" Asura looked down at me, his brow creased with worry.

"I'm fine. Now let's go get some food before Dumb Blonde out there thinks up some crazy assumptions." I scrambled to my feet and grabbed Asura's arm, half-dragging him out of my room.

As I took my seat, Rave gave me one of those looks that said _what the hell were you guys doing?_ I just glanced back down to the oak dining table, feeling a rosy blush creeping up on my cheeks.

_What _were _we doing_?

My pondering stopped when Rave set a bowl of steaming spaghetti with a heaping glop of chunky marinara sauce on it.

Eating like a starving wolverine, I didn't stop until I got to the last bits of tomato on the bottom of the bowl. Wiping my sauce-smeared face, I noticed that Asura was prodding at his noodles with the tip of his fork like a kid would poke a dead animal: nudging the corpse at arm's length, but still close enough to observe it with morbid curiosity and revulsion.

"If you aren't going to eat it, hand it to me." Rave tried to sound irritated, but that was a difficult thing for her to do with a mouthful of pasta.

_Just try it._

_ Man, Grace! You know it's going to waste the food, why don't you let me have the bowl before it eats some of the chow and contaminates the rest?_

_ Call Asura an "it" one more time and you won't eat for a week._

Me and Rave were too busy giving each other an icy stare to notice that the God of Insanity had already cleaned his bowl.

"More?" Asura requested, holding up his plate.

_Tasted like yum._

_ But don't human souls taste better?_

_ Not when you have been eating innocent souls for almost a century. I have grown weary of their rather plain flavor. This human food is quite savory._

_ Rave would like to join in the freaky brain-talking!_

_ Just get him some more food._

**In Maka's apartment, where Soul, Kid, Liz, Patty, and all those other peeps who are discussing what to do over the weekend.**

"I'm in for a Girl's Night Out." Proclaimed Liz, who was filing her nails into perfect, shiny ovals.

Maka beamed, saying cheerfully, "Sounds great!" Her voice dropped to a more meaningful tone as she added, "We need to get Grace and Rave to come along, since we owe them after what Shinigami made us do, with the necklaces and all."

"We can handle the Kishin dude," Soul muttered, a tiny bit of drool hanging out of his mouth as he grinned his signature cool smile.

"Are you serious?" Death the Kid sputtered, glaring at Soul.

"Sure, he can be a little spastic, but I think the Kishin is a pretty cool guy under all that fear and insanity." Soul met Kid's hot glare with a chilling _listen to what I say, your father just about threw us all to the wolves_ kind of stare.

"I bet I'm more of a god than that shy Kishin dude!" Black*Star boasted as he stood on the coffee table.

"Please don't stand on my furniture, or I _will_ Maka-Chop you." Maka growled as she lifted up a random book.

Not even Black*Star would ignore a direct threat from Maka, so he grudgingly stepped down, muttering stuff about when he surpassed the gods no one would dare try to intimidate him.

Maka just sighed, "If you take Asura, you can't do anything illegal," Another angry grumble from Black*Star and she continued, "Which you shouldn't be doing in the _first_ place."

"Oh! I want you to take Crona too. I think that Asura and Crona could become good friends." Maka added, causing further complaints.

"Can I help Rave pick a pretty dress?" Patty bubbled, a smile approximately the same size and shape as a watermelon spread on her face.

"If you can get her out of Weapon form long enough to say a word to her." Liz muttered. "I don't know how she does it. If I stay in Weapon form more than a few hours, my hair gets all messed up."

"She just needs more time to warm up around us, is all." Tsubaki chimed in. "And I think it would be a good idea to take Kishin Asura with you, Soul, he needs to get out of Grace's apartment at some point."

Soul grunted, "He needs to wear something a bit more discreet, otherwise we could have a serious problem."

Maka contemplated her Weapon's suggestion, then announced, "Alright! I'll call up Grace right now and ask if she can come, meanwhile you guys decide what it is you will do."

**Grace's point of view:**

I heard a soft whirring sound coming from my bedroom, so I excused myself from the table and retrieved my phone from the bedside table.

"Yeah? Oh, hey Maka. Girl's Night Out this weekend? Sure, I'll bring Rave." what I heard next made me frown a little. "Soul and the guys want to take Asura with them somewhere?"

_This could either be a good experience for him, or a terrible idea that could get us thrown in jail._

I was so zoned out that I didn't even hear Rave and Asura peek around the corner of the hallway and eavesdrop on my phone conversation.

"No, its fine, I think it would be nice for us to get out of the apartment once in a while. Okay, see you guys on Saturday. Bye."

The rest of the week meandered on by, since me and Rave had been excused from attending the Academy so that we could recover. On Friday, the top-ranking Meisters and Death Scythes had come to the conclusion that Kishin Asura, Rave, and I would now be part of a special ops team. A notice would be sent out to the DWMA, and eventually the public, that the two Kishins were under control and at the moment were more help than harm. They also said that Asura would be implanted with a tracking device that could not be removed without life-threatening surgery. I tried to protest, but Kid said that it was for the best and that they were only trying to protect the world from what could become a serious threat. I grudgingly accepted the terms, and Asura was put under so that Stein could insert the tracking device.

The only problem was that all the anesthetics that were tried on the demon god didn't knock him out, so he was operated on when he was wide awake. It was so disturbing that I had to leave the room, which caused Asura to tease me about being the only squeamish Kishin he has ever known. When it was all over, he said that he barely felt a thing, but I suspected otherwise, since the second he came out of surgery I hugged him and the God of Madness winced a tiny bit.

I woke up Saturday morning to find Rave and Asura already getting dressed and ready.

"Guys, it's only...three o' clock in the afternoon?" _How could I sleep for that long? Why didn't anyone wake me up?_

_You looked so peaceful; I didn't want to disturb you. Plus you have plenty of time to get ready, anyway. Those friends of yours dropped off some clothes they wanted us to wear._

Asura strode into my room, and I gaped at him, taken entirely off-guard by his new clothes. Feeling like an idiot, I stopped gawking enough to stammer, "You...you look like a normal teenager. A really _hot_ normal teenager." I resisted the urge to facepalm after the last statement.

_I think the staring was less embarrassing than my attempt at speaking._

The God of Insanity was dressed in black Trip skinny jeans, a Three Days Grace shirt, and a red-and-white striped hoodie over the shirt. His hair was spiked up a little, distorting the eye-shapes on his dark hair, and he even had new grey Converse. He still had his scarves, though, because they were technically part of his body and couldn't be removed.

"What a strange use of the word 'hot'." He murmured while rubbing his eyes, which were now a shade of dull brown. "Why do they make me wear contacts? They itch, and no one will notice my eyes anyway." Asura handed me a pleated, indigo knee-length skirt and a black tank top adorned with tiny gold beads stitched in swirling patterns.

"They will if you happen to have three bright-red ones." I pointed out while taking the clothes from him.

Asura flashed a slightly psychopathic grin before leaving my room. His absence made a sort of emptiness open up inside me, a hole that longed to be filled again.

_At least he figured out the 'privacy' thing._

**Rave's point of view:**

Grimacing, I tugged at the black-and-white striped peplum dress. To me it seemed more like an optical illusion, not an article of clothing.

_It's so short! Does it always feel so weird to wear a dress?_

_You're wearing a _dress? _Now I can get you back for walking in on me_.

Great, now Grace would always bring this up every time I make eye contact with her. I had to find something to counter with...

_So do you like the clothes that your friends brought for your pet to wear?_

_That's not funny, Rave._

_You know it's just using you. _

_I swear Rave, you need to stop. He's trying to learn how to be normal, and you treating him like a dog isn't helping._

_I'd rather have a dog instead of a lunatic demon living in the same freaking house as me! It's going to slaughter us in our sleep!_

_I don't want to hear another word from you about Asura. If I do, I will take him with me and move into the vacant apartment next to Maka's._

_You wouldn't dare!_

_Just watch me._

Just then, the devil himself called out, "They're here now, so I hope you two are ready to leave."

I slunk out the door, giving Asura the most contemptuous glare I could muster.

**Asura's point of view:**

What did I do to Grace's Weapon to make her loathe me so viciously? I didn't understand, so I became afraid of the temperamental flaxen-haired girl. I didn't hurt her, did I? Or was she simply angry that I killed people, just because I was afraid?

_Your Weapon is scaring me. Make her stop._

_Just ignore her. She's just trying to intimidate you so you will go away._

_Okay, I'll go away._

_No, you have to stay with me!_

_Are you two coming, or will I just tell Maka you guys aren't going?_

Asura made an odd whimpering sound, and floated behind me and down the stairs before I realized that he was levitating.

"You can't levitate in public, Asura, someone might call the police."

"Stupid humans are such control freaks." The demon god complained as his feet tapped the ground.

"You shouldn't be talking." I reminded him lightheartedly as I hopped down from the curb and scanned the parking lot, looking for a white Suburban.

** A while later, Grace's point of view:**

Spirit was driving, a pained expression stuck on his face. Being in a car with a boastfully loquacious Black*Star, plus two people that you had almost killed not too long ago, was making the Death Scythe loose his sanity. Or it could have been me and Asura's combined madness. I honestly don't know.

"I don't like cars." Asura was staring forward with a sort of far-off, horrified look. One of his hands clutched the side of the tan leather seat; the other was constricting my slender wrist. My fingertips were staring to go numb and tingly, but I dare not try to get Asura to release my hand.

_We're almost there, you can relax._

_But I've never been in a car before, I don't like it._

I just hoped that whatever the boys had in mind, it wouldn't involve anything that could possibly make Asura have an insanity melt-down.

The others were watching the God of Madness with a mixture of curiosity, suspicion, fear, and pity. I wished they would focus on something else, since it was starting to make Asura increasingly twitchy and nervous.

And my Weapon sat in the seat in front of me, next to Maka, her skinny frame tensed and the blonde was bent forward a bit.

Rave was being quiet, and I had a feeling she was still sulking after I snapped at her for insulting Asura. I don't know what she was so angry about, but I don't think it was just that Asura was a timid psychopath.

There was something else on Rave's mind, and it hung over me like a mysterious storm cloud. Not menacing, but something that you didn't want pressing down on you every day. And it didn't seem like Rave what going to tell me what was bothering her, which was also unusual, considering she always consulted me when she had an important decision or when something was troubling her.

I wanted to know what it was.

**Just a little fluff, but I hope it was okay. Then next chapter is going to have a lot more meaning and substance, so please hold on until then.**

**Reviews are greatly appreciated! o0o**


	2. Paint it from your Heart

**Author's note:**

** Took me a little longer than I had expected, but here it is: chapter two of Shades of Black. Not much else to say, other than this random comment- I caught a freaky sea slug thing today.**

** Aaaaanyway...enjoy! o0o**

Chapter Two- Paint It From Your Heart

**Grace's point of view:**

Everyone else had filed out of the car, and I was about to crawl out from the backseat when Spirit told me to stay for a moment.

"I'm sorry for what Shinigami made me do. He told me you were plotting with the Kishin, but he told everyone else Asura had kidnapped you so he could use your power to overthrow Shibusen. I feel like I'm partially responsible for what happened to your Kishin friend, so I hope you can understand that I feel-" I was tired of seeing that guilty look in his hazel eyes, so I raised my hand to cut him off.

"It's not your fault, Spirit-sama. You were just doing what you were told, like any loyal Death Scythe. There is no need to apologize to me, though Asura will be glad to hear this, since he's absolutely terrified of you right now." I watched his expression become at ease, then he made a shooing gesture.

"Go have fun with Maka and the girls. You deserve it."

**Asura's point of view:**

Too many people. I felt exposed, with so little layers of clothing. I just wanted to curl up in a corner, somewhere dark and quiet, like a cave. Yes, a nice cave where I could be alone with the madness.

But for some reason, the thought of isolation didn't placate me like it used to. Because I had found something better than being secluded: the appeasing company of Grace.

"Oi, are you okay?" That snowy-haired boy had stopped walking and turned to me. He didn't really sound concerned about my mental breakdown, more like the fact that I was slowing down the group.

I angled my head down into my scarves and muttered so that no one else but the platinum-haired Weapon would hear me. "There are too many people, and they are looking at me. Make them stop now."

Maka's Weapon just examined me with drooping red eyes, then said under his breath, "That's because you have third eye in the middle of your forehead. You should probably move some of your hair to block it so we don't attract the wrong kind of attention." Then with his signature smile, Soul added, "Plus Black*Star is going to upstage everyone on this little trip, so you won't be in the spotlight."

This calmed me, and I was able to muster a sort of nervous smile. Soul continued on with the group, but I sensed a timid presence behind me, so I slowed down.

It was that pink-haired boy, the one who wore a black dress and shied away from everyone else except for Maka. He had one hand gripping his shoulder and was looking down at his black boots as they knocked pebbles off of the sidewalk and into the gutter.

When he glanced up at me, I could see uncertainty and fear glinting in his pastel grey eyes. He had the same fear that I did, and he also had the same courage.

"Uh, you're that demon lord who took Grace, right?" The rosy-haired Meister's voice broke the slightly humid evening air.

"Yes. I am called Asura. You are Crona, correct?" I remembered his name being mentioned at some point in the car ride.

An awkward silence followed, where neither of us tried to continue the conversation. Instead, Crona stuttered something about not knowing how to deal with a demon god, and then trotted to catch up to the rest of the boys.

I trailed along at the back of the group, wishing Grace was here to tell me how I was supposed to talk like a normal human.

**Grace's point of view:**

I tried to get Rave alone so I could speak to her, but that was impossible when I was being passed from girl to girl, having clothing shoved into my arms and told to try it on. I felt like a dress-up doll, having people make me twirl around in dresses or strut in stiletto heels. I nodded my head and said things like "I like it" and "what do you think about this one" and trying to look interested when I was really wondering what Asura was doing. I worried that he was too scared to have fun, or could have even had a breakdown. But I trusted Kid and Soul, and believed that they could handle Asura, no matter what kind of insane things he ended up doing.

_I just wish he was here to ask silly questions about clothes and shoes, like he always does._

**Asura's point of view:**

"Where are we going, anyway?" I asked suspiciously, but all I got as a reply was "Probably something illegal."

We crossed an unlit parking lot filled with glass and weeds, then went around the back of a rusted-out warehouse to an open doorway in which Black*Star entered through.

I hung around the entrance, thinking that this must have been an ambush or some sort of trap. Then a light flickered on, and the empty storage facility was bathed in a weak yellow light that made everything appear sickly. I hovered around the doorway as Black*star and Soul pulled out some paint-smeared cardboard boxes and started pulling cans out of the boxes.

It didn't look like an ambush, so I shuffled into the oxidized metal building. Some of the walls had pictures painted on them, but a lot of them were just Black*Star's signature scrawled in large messy letters.

"Oi, you going to get in here or what?" Soul called over to me, a can with blue splotches coating the nozzle.

"What are you doing, anyway?" I didn't get why a bunch of paint-covered containers were in an abandoned storeroom.

"Spray painting, duh." The blue-haired boy threw one of the cans at me, and I caught it with one of my scarves.

"The paint is in the can?" Holding the canister of paint, I examined the nozzle where I guessed the paint came out of.

"Hey, you might not want to point that at your face. If you think the contacts are irritating, paint on your face will be much worse." Kid suggested as he began outlining what looked to be a picture of the DWMA on the side of the building.

"I press this thing and the paint comes out? So what am I supposed to paint?" I couldn't remember the last time I did something creative, since I didn't imagine anything anymore.

Soul scuffled over to me and half-growled, "Yeah, you press the little thing. And what to paint? Just use your imagination, paint whatever your heart tells you to. That's what I do, at least." The cool Weapon trotted off to his own section of the wall.

_Use my imagination, paint from my heart? Do I even have either of those things anymore?_

I stared at the rough concrete wall, at the blank surface I chose to be my canvas.

Eventually, it dawned on me what my heart wanted me to paint.

**3****rd**** person:**

Black*Star was, yet again, tagging his section with his signature. Soul's art, which was a sort of lop-sided but nicely detailed Kishin egg soul, was getting criticized by Kid. Ragnarok was popping out of Crona's back and painting what looked to be a picture of him back when he was powerful and was able to terrorize innocent humans.

Everyone had momentarily forgotten the great Kishin was even in the area, and Asura tested out each color of paint. He layered colors and swirled them until he was certain of the shades he was going to use.

"Oi, Kid, where's all the red?" Soul was trying to make some finial touch-ups to his graffiti, but couldn't find any red.

"I think Asura is using our entire stock of red, but for what I don't know." The shinigami replied, and both of the boys crept over to the Kishin, who had six cans of crimson spray paint and was using them simultaneously with his scarves.

"It looks like...flowers?" Soul laughed, but Kid realized that the scarlet flowers must have some sort of deep meaning if Asura was painting them.

"Wait, he's blocking the rest of the picture. I don't think he wants us to look until he has finished." And Kid was right, because as the Madness God swept his bandages around the stone canvas, he kept his body in front of the center of the art. He was afraid the other boys might make fun of the image he was depicting, so he wanted to make it appear flawless.

The demon lord finished just as the last spray can ran out of red. Inspecting the graffiti, Asura then deemed it fit enough to be revealed to the rest of the group.

**Asura's point of view:**

I thought I could have done better, but it was good enough, considering the image came from his heart.

Tossing the empty spray cans into the cardboard box at my feet, I turned around to see the gawking faces of a shinigami, two Meisters, a demon sword, and a Weapon. Their eyes could have been saucers, if I had not known better.

"Do you like it?" I inquired the other boys tentatively, because I wasn't sure if they were shocked or impressed.

"I didn't know Kishins had such artistic talent!" Death the Kid squealed, "It's almost perfectly symmetrical!"

"Its okay, considering it was made by the world's biggest bipolar psychopath-scaredy-cat." Ragnarok insulted, trying to cover up his envy.

You are probably wondering what I painted, yes? It was Grace, a tranquil smile on her stunning face, as she lay in a field of blood-red poppies. She was wearing a black velvet dress that flowed to her ankles, and her glossy hair was floating almost like a halo around her angel's face as she slept in the patch of scarlet blossoms.

"How did you get such magnificent detail?" Kid asked as he tried not to pass out from the near-perfect symmetry.

I lifted up one of my spray-paint-stained scarves and replied timidly, "I used my scarves like paint brushes for the centers of the flowers and for Grace-chan's eyes."

Soul blurted out a question he had been waiting to ask forever, "is Grace your girlfriend?"

_What is a girlfriend? I bet Grace knows what that means. But she's not here, so I'll just ask the snow-haired boy._

"What's a girlfriend?" There was a neutral moment where everyone exchanged glances with each other, and then synchronized laughter broke out from everyone except the baffled demon god.

"Seriously?" Soul wheezed as he tried very hard not to laugh any of his major organs up.

When it became evident to me that they weren't going to answer my query, I sighed "Can we get some human food now?"

** Grace's point of view:**

"What's wrong, Grace?" Tsubaki placed a hand on my shoulder, causing me to stop shuffling down the lamp lit sidewalk. The Weapon stepped in front of me and fretted, "You seem worried. Are you concerned that the boys can't handle Asura?"

I flinched a little when she said the last part, knowing that Tsubaki had defiantly hit the bull's-eye of my anxieties.

I let my false mask of content crumble, and I sighed, "I'm afraid Asu-chan isn't going to have fun if I'm not there with him to help him understand the world he's in. He relies on me so heavily that I don't know how he will behave with strangers."

The Demon Shadow Weapon's eyes softened, and she smiled knowingly. "That's so sweet, you care so much for your boyfriend." Tsubaki chuckled, he hands clasped together.

_They think we...? What?_

"Um, I think you must be confused-" I hastily began to explain, but I was cut off by Liz, who had been listening the entire time behind my back and somehow I didn't notice her.

"Rave told us you made out with the God of Insanity, _in your bedroom._ Just what where you two doing, hmm?" The pistol narrowed her eyes in that I-know-you-aren't-telling-us-something way.

_RAVE!_

_ Yes, master Grace?_

_ Don't pull that crap! Why did you tell them such stupid lies? _

_ You were the one kissing the sadistic demon, not me._

_ We were not doing anything of that sort! Now you better tell these girls the truth of what happened or I will disown you!_

As soon as I had thought it, I knew it was too late to take such a threat back.

_ You would disown your Weapon that was with you when you needed help the most? Then you are a Kishin, because only a lunatic would think something like that._

_ Please Rave, I didn't mean it. I'm sorry, just don't be so mean to Asura or tell lies, okay?_

But my thoughts just rebounded back to me, and I knew she had stopped listening.

"Hey Grace, let's go catch up with the boys." Great, Maka was in on this too? "I bet _Aweshie_ would like seeing you in your new dress!"

_God help me._

**Asura's point of view:**

The restaurant was bustling with people and noise and light, but I didn't care because I had Diet Coke and human food. I had finished the thing called a "cheeseburger", and was now demolishing the "French fries".

"You would have thought the Kishin hadn't eaten in a billion years." Everyone else had barely made a dent in their entree, with the exception of Black*Star, who was shoveling popcorn shrimp into his mouth at almost the same rate I was eating at. Crona's food looked good, plus he wasn't really eating, so I decided to mooch off of his plate.

"Will you eat that piece of the..." I had forgotten what it was called, the food that looked like flat bread with red sauce and cheese on it.

"It's pizza, and, uh, sure you can have it." Crona uttered nervously, flinching when I reached over and snatched up the greasy goodness.

Black*Star pilfered the rest of Crona's pizza, despite the protests coming from Kid to not take the pink-hair's chow.

Licking the last bit of pizza sauce off of my fingers, I eyed the remaining portion that was now on Black*Star's platter. Since I was not above stealing from those who rob, I tried to grab one of the sauce-slathered slices.

"You demonic bastard! Get away from my pizza!" Black*Star hollered as he smashed my fingers with the pepper shaker.

With a startled yelp, I stood up, stumbled backwards, and promptly tripped over my chair. Landing face-first on the tile floor didn't hurt, but it knocked out my contacts and made my hair fall so that my third eye was now exposed.

The family that was dining next to us stopped laughing, and then began to whisper fearfully. The waitresses pointed to me, then at something behind my back.

I stood up and dusted off the front of my hoodie. As I turned around to upright my chair, I glanced at the bulletin board that the restaurant employees had been motioning at. It was a board with bounties posted by the DWMA, and an image of my face was one of the biggest posts on the entire board. By now, half of the eatery was whispering phrases filled with words of fear, hate, and suspicion.

_That's right! The public still hasn't been told that I'm not a wanted criminal anymore. Which means..._

"Hey Asura! What kind of god are you, staring at a picture of yourself like-MMMM!" Soul had clamped his hand over Black*Star's mouth too late, and already people where standing up and looking as if they were ready to scream bloody murder. Other civilians were standing their ground as if they were waiting the command to attack.

"Every one," Kid was addressing the rest of the boys as calmly and as quietly as he could, "on the count of three, run like hell."

"One..."

"Two..."

"Three!"

I saw Soul grab Crona up and pull him towards the rear exit, with Black*Star following on their heels. Kid leaped over the table and shoved me out the door as furious and terrified screams chased us. We ducked down a side alley as a mob of enraged humans armed with broken glass bottles and table legs erupted from the double doors of the restaurant.

Vaulting over a dumpster, the shinigami pushed me down behind a doorway to a general goods store and hissed, "I'm going to create a diversion and I want you to run as far away as fast as you can." That said, Kid shouted to the mob, "the demon and his worshippers went this way!" and he took off sprinting down the street opposite of me. I scrambled to my feet and took off down the shadowed alley, which I realized was ironically like the one I had found the drunken man in, but this time I was the one being hunted.

I dashed down side streets until I started to recognize my location. I was a few blocks away from the strip mall that girls were at, so I continued running in that direction until my sides were aching and my breath was coming in struggling puffs.

Darting around the corner of a shop and onto the sidewalk of a main street, I collided into a very familiar girl. I fell back onto the curb, and Grace stumbled back with a "what the hell was that" kind of look.

"Hey, crazy Kishin boy!" the smaller of the two twin pistols was hopping around my sprawled-out form. "We were just about to come get you guys, but I see you must have missed Grace so much you came running aaaaaalll the way back here! Isn't that sweet?" Patty was gushing, her plump cheeks flushed.

**Grace's point of view:**

It took me a good couple of seconds to realize the idiot that had run into me was Asura, and he was now lying on the pavement, panting like a dying dog.

And I didn't think he would have run all the way back to me like that. I was now dreading that something had happened, seeing that there was fear swamping the demon god's soul wavelength.

I helped Asura to his feet, and then demanded he tell me what happened.

He answered between short gasps, "Some humans in a restaurant...recognized me...pursued by a mob...group split up to create a diversion...so I could escape."

_Oh God, I knew something like this was going to happen._

_ I'm okay. I want you to see what me and the rest of the boys where doing._

_ Later, you are coming home._

_ I hope you will like it, because I painted it from my heart._

And that was the first time I had seen Asura smile a _real_ smile, not one tainted by madness of fear, a truly loving smile.

end of chapter two.

** Author's note:**

** I think that was a little fluffier than usual- I can't always get Internet here, so I can't always listen to my online playlist while writing. My music pretty much influences my writing; no music makes the writing oddly fluffy.**

** Hope everyone likes my filler crud. *Grave Salute* Reviews are always appreciated! o0o **


	3. The Hunt Begins

**Author's note:**

** Disclaimer stuff, ect.**

** Okay, so now that I'm back from South Padre, I will do nothing but type. Though I don't get WI-FI at my mom's place, I will just have to update when I go to my dad's apartment. *Grave Salute***

** This is a relatively short chapter, but I decided to leave off on one of those "DUN DUN DUNNNNN" kind of moments that I so love. **

** Anyway, I hope ya'll like how the sequel is turning out. o0o **

Chapter Three- The Hunt Begins

**Late at night, Grace's point of view:**

Since we started back at the DWMA tomorrow, I wanted everyone to go to bed earlier than usual. We were all exhausted anyway, so there were no complaints from Rave or Asura.

At the moment, I had entirely forgotten that Rave was keeping something from me. If I had remembered how she had acted so tempered and had guarded her thoughts carefully, I probably would have been alert enough to sense what came into my window just past midnight.

**Inside the second-largest mountain on earth, K2, lies a great evil.**

The basilisk scampered into the Chamber of Flames, where his master sat on a lavishly decorated throne. The sorceress's dress flowed around her like lava, bubbling and swirling around her subtle body without scalding her. The great witch looked up from the fire opal that she was turning around in her smooth palm to see the brilliantly colored creature bow before her presence.

"Misss," the winged reptile garbled, "There ssseemss to be two Kissshhhinss, one being Asssura and the other a ssstrange girl, but both are gaining power under the Sssshinigami'sss protection. What do you want usss to do?" Swiveling his feathered head, the odd animal gazed at his superior with golden orbs that reflected the dancing tongues of fire that flickered around the expansive cavern.

The sorceress held the gem between two talon-like fingernails, then answered, "Send a messenger and see if we can make some sort of mutual alliance with the demon gods."

Ruffling his hackles nervously, the basilisk muttered, "yesss, but the Sssilver Child isss with the girl demon."

Fire spouted from the witch's palm, reducing the opalescent stone to a drab egg-shaped rock. The flames that had been barely illuminating the chamber just seconds ago flared into a blazing inferno, causing the basilisk to regret his last remark.

"Send an Elemental! Kill them all!" The sorceress snarled, her pupil-less orange eyes narrowed with fury and fear alike as she unfurled her wings slightly. The smoldering feathers casted enormous shadows around the ruby-encrusted throne. The once-beautiful opal shattered into grey splinters that tinkled down the steps leading to her reptile servant.

Scuttling out of the sweltering hall, the feathered raptor spread its multihued wings and shot through the tunnels that formed the inside of the mountain. The basilisk didn't like to deal with the Elementals, but he knew that the Silver Child not only endangered the witch's life, but also the entire population of basilisks that lived inside K2.

He was not to let Adena down.

**Midnight at Grace's apartment:**

The malevolent creature sloshed up the side of the brick building, leaving a scorched trail behind as it melted the glass of the window leading into Grace's bedroom. The molten glass bubbled down the windowsill as the magma-creature oozed into the room.

Just then, the closet light switched on.

**Asura's point of view:**

At first I thought the strange noise was coming from Grace, since she kept having reoccurring nightmares about that day in the snow.

But this sound was different. It wasn't muffled sobs, it sounded like grinding and splashing. The temperature in the room had also spiked drastically, making it hard to breath in the stuffy closet.

Stumbling out of the closet, the acrid smell of burning drywall clung in my nose and I could barely make out the silhouette of Grace's bed through the smoke. Coughing, I tried to fan away the dense fumes, but I still was choking on the air. I dropped to my hands and knees and crawled over to Grace's bed, breathing in the purer air that had settled close to the carpet.

"Grace!" I rasped, my lungs already heavy with airborne soot and ash.

The girl Kishin leapt up out of her smoldering sheets just as a molten glob of fire slapped into the covers, setting the bed ablaze. Grace almost tripped over me as she staggered towards the door, alarm flooding her soul wavelength.

Sucking in a lungful of fresh air from near the floor, I stood and turned my attention to the window. Something red and slug-like was heaving itself across the floor towards me, and a surge of blistering air smacked against me like a wave of boiling water. Positioning myself between the fire-maggot-thing and Grace, I hoped to buy the other Kishin some time so she could get away.

"What are you, and what do you want?" I called out to the fiery blob as I slid my vajra halfway out of my mouth.

"I kill! Kill the Silver Child! I obey, I fight, I kill!" The lava-creature rose up into an orangey tendril as it dragged itself ever closer to me. Two obsidian eyes, set on what I supposed to be the thing's head, glinted and focused ominously on me.

"I cannot allow you to kill anyone here, not even this 'Silver Child'." I growled, causing the molten beast to charge at me with startling speed.

I side-stepped and waited until the monster hurtled past me, then fired a compressed beam of my soul wavelength at the glob of fire with my vajra. A chunk of the Elemental incinerated, causing the animated lava to howl in pain and fury.

Sneering at the creature, I discharged my vajra blast over and over. Between the flashes of red-white light, I could see the creature was writhing pathetically on the floor in the throes of death.

I only stopped when the thing was reduced to a smear of soot with a pair of obsidian stones, once bright with a wicked light, that rested atop the remains of the Elemental.

I gazed sadly at the ashes for a long time, knowing that more trouble was to come.

_We aren't safe anymore, because more will come, more will try to find this 'Silver Child'. And I think I have an idea of who the Elemental was looking for..._

Off in the distance was the blare of a fire engine.

**The following morning, at the DWMA, Grace's point of view:**

"This is obviously a mature fire Elemental." Stein was poking around a sliver tray which had the ashes from the creature that had attempted to destroy me and Asura.

"But where did it come from?" I urged, dreading the possibility that this Elemental was not the last that I would face.

"These kinds of creatures are only able to be created by the most powerful of witches." The mad scientist adjusted his glasses and set the remains down on the dissection table in front of the group.

"A witch?" Asura shivered a little, and I brushed my hand reassuringly against his fingers. The demon god seemed to relax slightly, but I could still feel the tension in his soul.

"Yes, and this witch is infinity stronger than Medusa or Arachne." My tongue went dry when Stein said this.

"Do you think it could be the Phoenix Sorceress that the DWMA has been trying to capture for so long? The one that secludes herself for centuries at a time, and has been known to annihilate entire countries?" I inquired as Rave tried to slip out the door of the lab. The hinge creaked, and I stared the vajra down like I could physically pin her to the wall with my gaze.

"What is with you, Rave?" Snapping at my blue-eyed Weapon, "you have been slinking around and avoiding everyone since the trip to the mall with the girls. Just what are you hiding, Rave?" I leaned against the door, casually trapping Rave in the laboratory. Asura and Stein exchanged a questioning glance, adding to the shock in the atmosphere.

Pressed against the wall, the blonde fixed her gaze guiltily on the linoleum at her feet, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone.

After quite a long while, Rave whispered, "I didn't want you to know because I thought that if no one knew, nothing would happen."

In a more forgiving voice, I prompted, "You know that's not how the world works." Straightening my back, I approached my shamefaced Weapon.

"I'm sorry, none of this would have happened if I had told you that I'm..." She paused, then fixed her cerulean eyes intently into mine.

"...that I'm the Silver Child."

**Back in K2:**

"What do you mean?" Adena screeched at the basilisk, her angular face appearing even more menacing because of the glow from the flames.

"They might have dessstroyed the Elemental, but you have an entire army at your disssposssal. Besssidesss, there isss no evidence that your sssissster is trying to contact the Sssilver Child. You still have time, massster." The winged reptile tried not to cower from the enraged sorceress.

The witch settled back against her throne, her confidence restored by her servant's words. "In that case, send Talons number five and fourteen." Her orders given, Adena made a dismissive motion with one of her clawed hands.

With a dip of his plumage-crowned head, the basilisk scampered off into the depths of the mountain.

"The girl and her protectors will die. It can go no other way." The witch muttered to no one in particular, her voice resounding throughout the Chamber of Flames.

end of chapter three.

**Author's note:**

**Now that this is done, I will reward myself with a big bowl of chocolate ice cream. And tease everyone else that doesn't get frozen sugary goodness. I HAS ICE CWEAM! **

**Ignore me, I'm on crack. o0o**

**Please review!**


	4. The Taste Of Blood

**Author's note:**

**Sorry that I haven't updated in a while, and that this chapter is so short compared to all the other ones. Having a screwed-up A/C, limited Internet access, and a shortage of popsicles has really been getting to my writing. **

**Besides that, there's not much else to say. Enjoy! o0o**

Chapter Four- The Taste Of Blood

**Rave's point of view:**

Now that I had said what I was, now that it was out in the open, to be examined and looked over like an intriguing animal...I felt at ease. Like an immense weight that had been pressing down on my shoulders had suddenly vanished.

"That doesn't explain why you are the target of such a powerful witch." Stein, as always, was getting right to the point.

"It's a long story..." I was looking for a way to worm myself around having to tell a story that I had never told anyone. A tale that I myself had shoved away and hoped that one day it would rot into nothingness.

"We have all the time in the world." Asura pulled up one of the lab stools and sat down, facing me expectantly.

_Damn that patient demon lord..._

"So...um..." With an awkward clearing of my throat, I stated, "I'm kinda the daughter of one of the most powerful witches in all of history."

Grace had her signature "what-the-hell" face on, Stein was frowning in confusion, and Asura was entirely unfazed.

_That went well._

Fiddling nervously with the belt loop of my baggy jeans, I explained, "I was born to an ice witch, with a Weapon as my father. But instead of inheriting magic, which is usually a dominant gene, I got the trait for a Weapon. A vajra, like my dead father was."

Still more silence. No one blinked, or moved, or breathed. Except for Asura of course, who raised an eyebrow as if to say, "You were saying?"

I went on to say, "My mother was strange. She didn't have strong destructive urges, unlike her sister, the Phoenix Sorceress. The fire witch knew I had the potential to grant my mother great power, so she tricked my mom into thinking I was useless. Instead of disposing of me, my mom delivered me to a human family, hoping I would live like a normal human.

"But then there was an "accident" just a month after I was taken into the family. The entire house went up in flames, and everyone inside perished. It was luck that I happened to be at the park a few blocks down the street when it happened."

Bile churned in my stomach when I recalled discovering the charred corpses of those innocent people, who accepted me even though I was the spawn of a witch. I had to stop talking to be able to resist the urge to vomit until there was nothing left inside of me.

_They didn't do anything, and they all died, just because they were involved with my existence. That is the fate for anyone who comes in contact with me. _

_I understand._

The demon god's thought came out of nowhere, making me jump. Looking up into the God of Insanity's unwavering red eyes, I was stunned to find sympathy in the blood-hued depths of his soul. Asura's parents had been murdered just because they were drawn into an issue between Shinigami and the young demon. They didn't deserve their fate either.

_Thank you, Asura._

Seeing that everyone was waiting for me to resume where I had stopped, I carried on with my story, "The first orphanage that I was sent to caught on fire also, and burned down part-way. No one was hurt though, and I was sent to another orphanage, where I met Grace."

When I got to the end of my account of what I really was, I made an uncertain shrug-like motion with my boney shoulders. "Besides that, I don't really know."

"What are we to do, Stein? The fire witch is sure to send something much more overwhelming than an Elemental. A division of Pre-Kishins, perhaps?" Asura was all business-like, a grimly serious tone inching into his usually hesitant voice.

"For now, you three will stay at the Death Mansion. I will alert Kid to make the needed preparations. Gather up your things, but _stay together. _This witch probably has servants watching your apartment block, and if you split up for any reason, you are sure to be attacked." Stein spun once in his stitched-up office chair, then coasted out of the lab.

**Grace's point of view:**

Out of all the more important things that were crossing my mind, the one that kept repeating itself was this:

_Live with Death the Kid? But he's going to want to make all of our belongings symmetrical!_

I recovered from my hushed stupor by stating, "We better get home and make sure we take as much of our clothes as possible, or we will end up wearing weird symmetrical outfits."

Rave cracked a relief-filled smile, and Asura chuckled in that unsettling way of his.

I had a feeling that things were about to get really awful really fast, but that doesn't really matter when you have friends that you can rely on.

**Arrival at the Death Mansion, Asura's point of view:**

I wasn't surprised that we were going to have to stay with Kid. Even though it was for the safety of everyone involved, I still resented the fact that I was staying in the same house that Shinigami once lived in. At least Lord Death was in prison, and his son was a nice person.

That is, if you keep everything balanced and symmetrical. Which none of us were doing, by the way.

"Asura!" The young shinigami was flailing about, trying to find some "order" in our attire, but was only succeeding in driving everyone mad. "Your shirt is crooked! And Grace, your eyeliner is heavier on the right than it is on the..." Kid didn't get to finish his criticism as blood began to trickle out of his nostrils and he collapsed onto the polished marble floor of the living room.

"Will he be okay?" Rave nudged the unconscious shinigami with the side of her Vans.

"Yes, he does that quite often." I sighed as I stepped over Kid and trotted up the stairs to my temporary room.

I was relieved to have a room all to myself, since sleeping in Grace's closet could get cramped at times. But I knew that I wouldn't be able to comfort her if she had the dream again, since her room was down the hall. Plus no one had ever known that we would sleep together, and this place wasn't exactly private, with the twin pistols running around trying to snoop out the latest gossip. I didn't want to make Grace feel awkward, like I had done before so many times in the past.

Not having very many belongings, I couldn't really personalize the bare white bedroom. I tossed my clothes in the closet, but froze when I saw the doorknob, which was shaped like the Shinigami mask. Recoiling in disgust and fear, I tried to think of how to cover up such a repulsive decoration.

_I might have enough power to create a mild illusion, one that could cover that nasty thing and add a little color to the room._

Focusing on the doorknob, I replaced it with an image of a red flower, an Icelandic poppy to be exact.

Then I turned my gaze to the walls and thought, _the walls are not white, they are red._

Scarlet liquid appeared to splash down and coat the walls in slick blood. Such a thing would appear disturbing to most people, but watching the blood and thinking about how it would taste...it all just made the tension drain from my form and replaced it with a vague need.

The distant longing to kill, to see the life fade out of my victim's body, to sink my teeth into the still-warm flesh of a recently slaughtered creature.

The madness wanted fresh blood.

And I knew a very simple way to feed the hunger.

**Grace's point of view:**

I folded each of my outfits and stacked them in the closet as orderly as possible. I kind of felt guilty about making Kid have one of his meltdowns, so I was trying to make up for it by organizing my belongings.

When all the clothes were put away, I headed back down the stairs to get my other luggage.

As I walked down the hall, I noticed a familiar coppery-salty smell that was wafting from Asura's room.

My gut tightened when I recognized the scent of blood.

I rushed over to his bedroom, but was almost knocked down by the madness wavelength that was surging out from under the closed door.

_Leave!_

The command was warped with insanity, but it was definitely Asura's voice. His wavelength was so enveloped in lunacy and bloodlust that it blocked out all other thoughts and emotions, so I had no idea what was happening.

I wanted to know what had happened, so I opened the door.

**Asura's point of view:**

With the window open, I fumbled around in my jeans pockets for the Lure. The Lure is a whistle enhanced with witch magic, allowing the user to attract animals with its enticing melody.

I held the slim copper tube up to my lips and breathed slowly into it, producing a hum that could only be heard by animals. Though I was sure that I must have sounded captivatingly beautiful to any creature, the silent call of the Lure was a signal to the madness that it was time to feast.

A flock of chortling sparrows responded almost immediately by alighting on the windowsill. They inspected me curiously with beady black eyes, unaware of what I had in store for them.

Snatching up the first one, I cupped it in my left hand so that it couldn't escape. I stretched the tiny bird's wing out as far as it could go, and then wrenched the wing upwards so that it popped out of the socket. The tiny animal squealed in agony as I did the same thing to the opposite wing, then to both of its matchstick-like legs. Tearing at the writhing ball of feathers with my teeth, I only stopped when the sparrow's body grew still. I let the bloody pulp of the bird slip from my fingers and I spat out fragments of bone.

The insanity wanted more; it wanted more blood and more pain.

So I coiled my scarf around the next sparrow and lifted it so that its brown head was level with my blood-caked teeth. But I didn't gnaw on the creature, no; instead I constricted the bird until it ceased chirping and squirming. Crushing it still, crimson began to flow from its gaping beak and I licked the blood as it streamed out of the dying avian.

Each sparrow was slaughtered more cruelly than the last, until all that was left was the desire to cause more pain.

_ Stupid birds aren't enough, Asura; you are going to need more. The Silver Child, she will be fun to play with. You can even watch the horror in her eyes as you enjoy yourself with her body, which is something you can't do with a pathetic animal. _

The little demons were whispering sick things again, but they no longer sounded disturbing, they seemed like great ideas to me at the moment.

_Yes, I will start with the Silver Child. Then Grace...I will get tons of enjoyment out of her..._

I was lapping up the puddle of scarlet that had pooled on the windowsill when the door was thrown open.

_I guess I'll start with her, then._

Grace was unable to move, so pure was her horror. The fear looked so beautiful on her face as I closed and locked the door with one of my bandages.

_I wish I had a camera so I could capture this moment forever, but sadly, I will just have to have my fun with no means to record it._

_ Asura-_

I wrapped my scarves around Grace's delicious body before she could finish her thought. Pulling her so close to me that only a thin gap of air separated my blood-stained lips from her sweet mouth, I reached up to twirl her dark hair around my finger. My other hand trailed up her arm and I dug my nails into her soft skin.

Grace didn't cry out as I dragged my nails down her arm, causing blood to trickle over my fingertips. I smiled manically and started to drool at the scent of her skin and her blood, all of which was so very arousing to me.

_**Asura, stop.**_

Flinching from the weight of her demand, some of the demons in my mind scampered away in fear of this girl who wasn't screaming or struggling. Grace was actually staring into my eyes, the frightened expression gone, and in its place was affection. My grin dissipated and both of my hands fell limply against my sides.

The insanity wanted me to continue, but that desire was now fading compared to my shame.

_Was I seriously thinking about...? I actually wanted to do that to her?_

_ It wasn't you, it was the madness. But I'm glad I walked in here in time, or..._

_ You're bleeding, so don't be gla-_

Grace pressed her lips softly against mine and wrapped her arms around my neck, ceasing any thoughts I had about getting her medical attention.

I had never been kissed before, so I had no idea how to react. I guessed that you just do what your heart tells you to do, much like with anything else that you put passion into.

Tilting my head a little, I moved my mouth against hers as I placed my hands on the small of her back. Panic and pleasure shot through me, and I had a hard time trying to decide whether to deepen the kiss or run far away from this place. Instead, I pulled away from Grace's gentle kiss.

**Grace's point of view:**

His mouth was coated in bird's blood, but that didn't matter. I wasn't sure why I kissed him, but that didn't matter either. All that mattered right now was that I loved him and didn't want to see him doing these horrible things instead of telling me something was wrong.

_If you're going to hunger for something, hunger for me, because I love you._

I rested my head on Asura's chest, and his scarves pulled me against him. The blood from the scratches on my arm trickled onto the demon god's shirt, adding to the dark red blotches that were definitely going to leave stains on his clothes.

We should have been cleaning up the gory mess by the window, but when you never know when a new enemy is going to try to crawl into your room in the middle of the night, you start to try to make every second of moments like this count.

"Hey!" Rave was hollering out in the hallway, "Where the hell did everyone go?"

_Oh crap, help me clean up all this stuff!_

_That stupid Weapon..._

_ There you guys are!_ The Silver Child hammered the door with her fist, causing the entire room to shake. _And what exactly are you doing in there that would require "cleaning up"?_

_ Now you're just making clueless assumptions! _I had cleaned all of the blood off of Asura's face, and now we were trying to cover up the blood stains on the floor.

_I can just use an illusion to cover the rest of it up._

_ The rest of what up? And I have the right to make assumptions because you two have been alone in a locked bedroom for almost thirty minutes!_

_ Not true! _Asura had now focused the illusion off of the walls and onto the floor, so now the floor appeared to be spotless white carpet.

"What did you do to her, you demonic bastard?" My Weapon howled in fury as she began to kick the lock on the door.

_I did not know so many people thought of me that way._

_Asura! Put a clean shirt on, quick!_

_Whoa! You guys were doing stuff __**shirtless?**_

The door hinges creaked, then snapped and an enraged-beyond-words Rave flew into the room. I'm not entirely sure what she was expecting to find, but she seemed relieved when she saw that Asura's bed was still made and that both of us were fully clothed.

"I still don't trust you." The blonde pointed an accusing finger at Asura before she stomped out of his room.

"Great. Now we have to fix the door." I muttered, shutting the window.

**Rave's point of view:**

Cherry blossoms drifted down onto me, like pink snowflakes. Lounging out on the wicker bench in Kid's private garden, watching the cherry blooms being carried away by the wind, I basked in the sun.

I appeared at ease, but really I was questioning why I was even still here. As long as I stayed with my friends, they were in danger of being targeted by my mother or the Phoenix Sorceress.

_They will never stop until they kill or capture me. _A sparrow cheeped as it fluttered over my head, then alighted upon a branch of the cherry tree. I swear that I saw pity in its total black eyes as it peered down at my face.

Despite what I had said to Asura, I trusted him entirely with Grace's life. If anything, I was jealous that he had gained Grace's affection. And I could tell that he truly loved her. Since he was so willing to protect my Meister, I thought that it would be no big deal if I left.

If I left to return to my mother. That would be the only way to keep everyone at DWMA safe.

_Don't you dare come after me, Grace. This has to be done._

The setting sun lit the garden ablaze as I took off running down the gravel path.

end of chapter four.

**Author's note: **

** If you have a weak stomach, or don't like gore, you should probably not read past this chapter. I like lots of gory violence, and I don't want to be responsible for anyone else throwing up. I mean, seriously, it's not that bad, but some think otherwise. **

**I'm such a twisted child. :) **

** Also, special thanks to Dais L. Skadow and Redydragonfly. You should know why you are being thanked. ^.^**

**Rave: Let's go steal Stein's wheelie chair again!**

** -Asura and Grace are sent to the ER again-**

** Rave: Third time's the charm?**

** Asura: Never! And you call me a demonic bastard!**

** Claire: Stop fighting and get back in the plot.**

** Asura: I wanted to get ice cream with Grace-chan...**

** Claire: You can get ice cream when you kill the evil witches.**

** Please ignore my randomness! R&R **

** o0o**


	5. A Notice

**Attention:**

**I have noticed people copying my work, and I don't like it at all. If you think I won't notice just because you didn't review my work, you are wrong. There are only twenty-five or so Asura fics, and I read every one of them. I WILL NOTICE. **

** I may stop writing SOB if I see any more of this, because I'm already having problems writing as it is.**

** Thank you, people who have enjoyed and reviewed my work without copying. Sorry that you had to read this message. I will update soon, if I feel like the right people have read this.**

** Sincerely, Claire.**

**o0o**


	6. Midnight of Fire and Ice

**Author's note:**

** I'm so sorry I haven't updated in quite a while, that this chapter is short, and that It is kinda crappy compared to what I usually write.**

** I was waiting until I was sure everyone was aware of the notice I posted a few days ago.**

** There is also a change in how long this story will be: This is the sequel. Period. Because I can't think of how I would continue past the ending that I planned for SOB. But there will probably be some weird alternate-universe thing for part three. I don't know, I have yet to decide what I will do.**

** And now for something completely different: I got one of those image verification things while signing into FF and I messed up my password. Guess what it said? "Carrots Testify." XD**

** Enjoy (or try to. O.o)**

**o0o**

Chapter five-

Moonlight stroked the exotic leaves of the private garden, transforming the blooms into an undefined ocean of navy shadows and silver highlights. Lounging in the sturdy boughs of a Jacaranda tree, I filed each of my fingernails to distinct points.

_Shhhhhnik._

_Shhhhhnik_ .

Long, precise strokes, as if I was sharpening a dagger or some other bladed weapon.

_Shhhhhnik._

Even though I couldn't sleep, that didn't mean that the dream would stay tucked away. It would terrorize me no matter how lucid my thoughts were at the moment. So now it was just a waiting game, one where I couldn't interfere, no matter my will or sanity.

_He didn't move an inch, and the blade sunk into Asura's other shoulder with a sickening thud. A scream-sob tore out of my throat as black blood spewed onto the sparkling snow. The God of Insanity wavered for a moment, and then collapsed to his knees... _

No.

_Shhhhhnik._

_You couldn't sleep, either._

I was so spooked that I almost dropped my nail file. Recovering quickly, I glanced down at Asura, who was leaning against the trunk of the tree as if he'd been there the entire time. Crimson eyes glowing like fireflies, Asura drifted up through the cool midnight air to perch beside me on the branch.

_Yeah._

With the moon looking balefully down on us, the God of Madness and I looked up at the perpetual melting pot of stars. A distant voice seemed to whisper urgently, but no matter how hard I strained, I could not understand the language of the cosmos. It was as if the universe was attempting to transmit to use that we were missing something.

_Do you feel that too?_

_Yes, Asu-chan, the heavens are trying to say something._

_Not that. I mean that something's here._

And that was when my blood ran cold.

**Rave's point of view:**

_Damn, I should have brought some food._

I had been practicing controlling my shadow without Grace knowing, just for this very purpose. Riding on my shadow, flying over the arid sand dunes; it was like skateboarding in the air. But I had no time to try out fancy tricks. I had to put as much distance between myself and DWMA before dawn broke, hoping to lead the Phoenix Witch's forces away from my friends.

_Funny that I would be calling Asura a 'friend'. But if he's not the enemy, than I guess it doesn't matter what I call him. Back to the task at hand..._

I wasn't exactly sure where my mother would have her headquarters, but I think I had a pretty good idea where she might be.

Coasting into the night, I knew that the same moon that was gazing down on me was also casting its faint light on down on Grace.

**Asura's point of view:**

Silence.

Positioning myself into an alert crouch, I focused in on a dark blotch that was growing steadily larger on the horizon. At first glance it appeared to be a fast-moving thunderstorm, but the edges of the cloud were too neat and defined to be natural.

_Order...How disgusting! I must destroy whatever that is before it taints my mind..._

**Grace's point of view:**

Flattening myself against the tree trunk, I tried to blend into the mottled shadows that were casted onto my figure by the branches. Asura had gone from crouching tensely on the tree limb to stretched out on the bough like a enraged panther, violence showing in every tendon and muscle, with his lips pulled back to reveal dagger-like canines. I'd never seen someone look so frightening in my life.

_What is it?_

_It looks like an enormous flock of birds. But they are too orderly to be normal animals..._

_Do you think-_

_GET DOWN!_

The God of Insanity shoved me off of the branch just as a dark shape came screaming past. A flurry of feathers and talons, and then I hit the hard dirt. Sprawled out in the open, with my breath knocked out of me, I was a sitting duck.

Asura landed much more gracefully next to me, his feet barely leaving a dent in the soil.

_I don't think it saw us._

_It did. It left to go back and report our location. We have to move now, before we are descended upon._

The swift demon slipped away into the shadows. I leapt up and ducked clumsily under a passion vine before I caught up to him. My blood already flooded with adrenaline, I swerved around a towering juniper, and then stopped dead.

_They must have come for Rave._

Asura froze. A frustrated growl, and he turned around to shoot off back towards Death Mansion. Dashing along behind the demon god, I was aware of swooping silhouettes in the inky sky, casting warped shadows across the gravel path.

We didn't have time to deal with doors or stairs, so we shot through Rave's window in a half-cobalt half-scarlet Soul Sphere.

As soon as my feet touched the thick white carpet, I knew something was wrong. Rave's bed was still made, and her belongings sat forlornly in their boxes and bags.

_She hasn't been in here for quite a while. The Silver Child has been gone for five hours at the least. She obviously wasn't captured-_

_So she must have left by herself, _I finished Asura's thought for him. _And knowing Rave, she probably has found a very reliable way of transportation, besides walking._

_Where do you think your Weapon went?_

_I know exactly where she would go._

Something slammed into my back and I was thrown against the floor. All I saw was fluffy carpet as the beast pinned me to the ground. Moist teeth pressed against the back of my neck. I tried to struggle, but my limbs were made immobile when other basilisks snatched my arms and legs into their drooling jaws. Every twitch from my body resulted in a warning nip from the reptile at my throat.

_Don't move._

_I'm trying not to._

**Asura's point of view:**

Now the filthy orderly things were touching Grace! I could not allow that, no, these beasts are already dead.

"Let her go. The Silver Child is not here." Red tinged the edges of my vision, and my breathing was fast-paced and silent. The feathered raptors swiveled their scaled heads to face me as I slide my vajra halfway out of my mouth.

_But what if I shoot Grace? Wait...I have an idea..._

_Hurry up with that idea!_

_Make a Soul Sphere around just your body, and don't turn it off until I say so._

_I'm not sure if I can..._

_Please, just try._

A translucent membrane slid over Grace's figure, making her appear she was dipped in diluted red paint. The animal at her throat gnawed on the Soul Sphere for a moment then turned its golden gaze back to me. A pink snake's tongue flickered out of its toothy maw.

White-red light arched and leaped around the tip of my vajra. The feathered lizards stood their ground, and so I unleashed the full power of my vajra on the basilisks. Their fire-proof skin help up well to the blast, but that did not keep their innards from being boiled. It was a painfully slow death, in which the beasts writhed on the carpet, saliva foaming from their gnashing jaws and wings beating feebly at the scalding air. Nonetheless, they deserved their deaths.

The lucent shield that enveloped Grace's body wavered and I was afraid it was going to fail against the vajra blast. But it held until the basilisks ceased their desperate thrashing and now lay as cooked corpses. The crimson throb at the edges of my vision subsided as Grace's Soul Sphere flickered off. Brushing slightly charred feathers from her torn attire, Grace stood. She stared at the closest winged reptile corpse, her three silver eyes unreadable in the dim moonlight.

A giggle, followed by a sob that pierced the night air. I stepped carefully around the lifeless abominations to embrace Grace. She tucked her head into the space between my neck and shoulder, then she cried so heavily that it caused my entire body to shudder. I rested my head on top of hers and pressed her shorter body against mine. Gradually, Grace's cries turned to whimpers, then she was silent but still breathing irregularly. Her tears had soaked through my shirt, and the moisture was making the cloth cling on my pallid skin.

_I need to stop bursting into tears whenever something like this happens. I know I have much more self control than this..._

_I cannot blame you. _ A long pause, then,_ Rave went to the Phoenix Sorceress, didn't she?_

_No, she went to her mom, which is even worse. Rave-chan is going to sacrifice herself so we don't get hurt._

_I can't allow that. _

Grace pulled back so she could look into my eyes, disbelief shining in her red-rimmed eyes.

_You care about her? But she's always so unkind to you. So why...?_

_Because if you care about Rave, that makes her important enough for me to risk my life trying to save her, for your sake and hers._

_Thank you, Asura._

**Rave's point of view:**

Dawn broke as I set foot on the volcanic-black sand, the tide swirling around my ankles. I was dead-tired, famished, and needed to pee. In other words, I was not in the mood to deal with my mother, but I knew that there was no time to waste.

_I'm glad that they're safe now. No harm will come to any of my friends anymore._

A scallop shell caught my eye, and I knelt to pick it up. Just as my finger brushed the seashell, I sensed something watching me from the dense foliage just a few yards up the black-sand beach. Rising slowly, I scanned the thick jungle in search of movement. A vividly colored bird burst out of the underbrush, causing me to flinch a little.

I waited, and nothing more stirred in my field of vision.

Relaxing, I let my arms fall to my sides. I forgot that I was holding my breath, and so I let out a lengthy sigh that seemed to echo down the empty stretch of coast.

"I see that you have found me, Silver Child." A velvet voice replied to my exhale.

I was barely startled this time. Turning around warily, I noticed an angular woman dressed in a flowing dress the color of an iceberg standing in the inch-deep water. A slight smile playing on her thin pink lips, the lady examined me nonchalantly with her pupil-less cerulean eyes. She extended one of her slender hands out to shake mine, but I stood rather stiffly, refusing to move. The ice witch's hand fell, as did her smile, in disappointment.

"Why don't you greet your mother properly, Child of Silver?" My mom almost purred the question, he head tilted at a minute angle, making her platinum hair cascade down her lithe shoulders.

"Because I no longer consider you my mother, Neva." I spoke dryly. 

"Oh, is that so? Then you must have come here because you needed help." The tiny grin was back on Neva's mouth, "And you must know that I need help also. Shall we strike a deal, my daughter?"

I kept my emotionless facade covering my mix of real feelings as I murmured, "As long as you call me by my name."

"And what may that be?" The Frost Witch gazed at me out of the corner of her lividly blue eyes.

"Rave." I declared this rather proudly, returning an equally strong look into my mother's empty orbs.

Distaste flashed across Neva's sharp features, "An...Interesting name."

Ignoring her reaction, I skipped right to the point, "Help me defeat Adena."

end of chapter five.

**Author's note:**

**And that took me about a week to write. –cries- But at least I think my writer's block is gone. **

**Now for some random stuff that my sister, StarryDeathScythe, makes up spontaneously when watching Soul Eater:**

**In episode 45 at the part where Ms. Marie helps Stein conquer the madness, and it shows her glowing, so my sister says, "I'm floating, glowing, and naked! Let me cleanse you!"**

**During episode 50, where B*S and Kid are battling Asura, and then it flashes back up to the Death Room so that some other characters can say some stuff, I ask my sister, "What are B*S, Kid, and Asura doing while this Death Room crud is going on?" My sister responds, "Asura says, 'Let's talk about our problems!' and then they all have a group counseling session."**

**Yup, my sister and I like to comment stupidly on everything we see.**


	7. Time Will Tell

**Author's note:**

**Sorry that nothing much happens in this chapter. It's kind of just setting things up for the epic battle. But I lost my writer's block, and should be updating more. **

**On another note, when SOB is over and done, I'm starting another fan fiction! –sister throws flaming rock at me- Ow! Anyway, it will be a MakaxAsura fic. –every SoulxMaka fan in existence throws flaming rocks- Alright! Jeez... But I'm not doing it alone: The fanfic will be co-authored by my friend Alex. The 'trailer' for the fic will be publish soon. **

** Until then, enjoy Shades of Black!**

** o0o**

Chapter Six- Time Will Tell

**Grace's point of view:**

"Being the Special Operatives team, this mission will fall into your hands." Death the Kid stated as he clasped his hands symmetrically behind his back. "Stein, Spirit, Marie, and a handful of Shibusen students shall be accompanying you to Hawaii. We wish you the best of luck against Rave's mother." The young shinigami turned to face us now, gazing deeply into my eyes. His honey orbs locked on me, Kid spoke slowly, "Come back alive, all of you."

And with a dismissive gesture from Kid, Asura and I left the Death Room silently.

**Rave's point of view:**

"Why did you pick a volcano, of all places, to be your home?" I queried my mother as I lounged on a couch that was fashioned out of ice and draped with various animal pelts. I could not resist the urge to relax on such a plush pile of fur, and so I folded my arms on a downy pillow that sat next to me and lowered my head onto my hands. I looked much like a half-awake wolf, with my wild hair and slightly toothy smile.

My mother sat across from me on a throne shaped like a slumbering polar bear, her posture straight and formal, her hands lying neatly on either armrest. She watched me with evident dislike as she replied, "Because my sister would be infinitely more powerful in a place like a volcano, so I took this mountain of fire from her, and likewise she took the Himalayas from me. We were balanced in power, but now that I have you, we have the upper hand against Adena."

I really didn't agree with this whole "we" thing, since I still resented my mom for leaving me in the care of those poor humans. Neva knew this, and was trying to get on my good side by letting me play Twenty Questions. Too bad my good side was already full with the maximum amount of people I could tolerate.

"How are we going to confront your sister?" I watched my mom with one blue eye open.

"Strike her with full force, no holding back." The Frost Sorceress smashed her fist into her open palm for added emphasis, a determined smile spread on her cat-like face.

I couldn't help but snort and roll my eyes a little. _Maybe my mom isn't so bad._

A tinkling melody trickled down to my ears. Looking up, I spotted several hawks that appeared to be made entirely out of ice, their feathers clinking and producing the wind-chime-like music that had a nice calming effect on me. The Elemental birds dived down like icy bullets, light reflecting off of their primaries to create an almost disco-ball effect on the Weapon and the witch. The avian creatures came to rest on the back of the couch I was relaxing in, their beady white eyes examining me with an animal's scrutiny.

"They are huge up close." The closest bird pecked at my outfit, its crystalline beaks leaving a slit in my shirt. I scooted nervously away from the over-size hawk as the beast ruffled its frosts feathers.

"Yes, those are Arctic War Hawks. They make up a large percentage of my army, and don't worry; they won't attack without my explicit order." Neva smiled as she reassured me.

I nodded, but kept my eyes glued to the bird nearest to me, making sure that it wouldn't try to eat one of my fingers or something. It only cocked its sleek head to one side, blinking innocently.

_Yeah, right. You're the one that's going to nibble on my toes when I'm asleep. _

Chortling, the flock of Arctic War Hawks launched themselves over my head and soared back up into the belly of the frosted-over volcano, their wings producing a sound like a thousand diamonds cascading down a waterfall. It was a beautiful, lovable tune.

"So," I stood, brushing shards of ice from my slightly tattered clothes, "What do we do first?"

**Asura's point of view:**

"Let's stop here for the night." Stein called out to the rest of the forces, the moonlight glinting off of his thick glasses.

We had arrived at a city called Los Angeles, which was teeming with people, cars, and noise. Honestly, I wanted to be anywhere but here, especially since passerby were giving our group a curious stare as we entered the Marriot hotel.

At first, we were given fuss over the size of our party. But Spirit just flashed a cold look at the manager and pulled out his Death Scythe badge. Apologies swarmed us as we were showed to each of our rooms.

Grace and Marie got one side of the suite, and Stein, Spirit, and I got the other. I was so exhausted that I fell asleep on the floor, even though there were three perfectly fine beds in the room.

**3****rd**** person:**

"I didn't know such a powerful creature would just lie down and leave itself vulnerable in slumber." Stein stepped around the demon god that was currently curled up on the floor like a dog, and preceded to his side of the room. Sprawling into an office chair that was adjacent to the heavily-curtained window, the mad scientist wound the screw in his skull absentmindedly.

Spirit sat slumped on the side of his bed, staring down at Asura, who must have been dreaming for all the twitching and muttering her was doing. The God of Madness's almost childlike face was half-shrouded by a scarf emblazoned with the vertical eye symbol

The red-haired man announced to no one in particular, "Everything we thought we knew about Kishins...was wrong." He shook his head, eyes closed in thought.

Stein stood abruptly, "It's a little late at night to be pondering such a complex topic, Spirit-_senpai._" With that said the older Meister got into his bed and flicked the light off.

Death Scythe remained where he was for quite a while longer. He watched Asura, whose third eye was glowing softly, like the face of a digital alarm clock. The Weapon wanted to know why the Madness God was still here, despite the fact that Asura obviously hated being around such a large group. The redhead could not come up with a single reason why, and at last, with a small sigh of defeat, Spirit went to sleep.

**Not long after Spirit had gone to bed...**

"AHHH! Asura, no, please!" Grace's scream snapped everyone awake instantly.

Spirit fumbled to get the covers untangled from his slumber-heavy limbs. "Damn that demon...and just when I was going to change my impression of him." With a glance at Stein, who was also awakened by the plea, the Death Scythe switched into his Weapon form.

Stein snatched up Spirit and threw open the door to the adjoining room. What the two men saw was NOT what they had been expecting, not in the least.

"I am sorry that you have _been_ awakened. Grace has terrible nightmares." Asura was holding Grace as she sobbed, stroking her crow-black hair as he looked up at Stein. The older man lowered his Weapon, watching in partial shock and curiosity as the God of Insanity turned his attention back to comforting Grace. The girl Kishin had stopped crying and now had her head buried in the pillows, effectively hiding her flushed face.

"She's just a little embarrassed now." Asura didn't take his eyes off of Grace as he suggested everyone go back to sleep.

**Grace's point of view:**

I felt so humiliated.

_Crying in front of my teachers. How horrible..._

At least the light was off now. I rolled onto my back, wiping my tear-brimmed eyes. Staring up at the ceiling, I was reminded of Rave, who was almost certainly dead now. The sticky, salty tracks on my face were coated again with more tears.

The bed shifted, and I felt someone crawl under the stiff hotel sheets.

_Asura._ I sighed as he brushed away the strands of hair that clung to my moist cheeks. Ruby eyes wide with worry, the demon god settled next to me with one pale arm draped across my waist. I closed my eyes, and let my drowsiness suffocate me.

_Rave is fine. I swear on my life I will bring that crazy blonde home._

I slept soundly, reassured by the only person that could still comfort me.

**3****rd**** person:**

Spirit did not feel like sleeping.

"So, if Asura is a Kishin, a god..." The Death Scythe paced back and forth in front of Stein's bed and the silver-haired man just observed Spirit quietly.

"Are you going to just pace, or will you explain?" Stein slipped a pack of cigarettes out of his lab coat as he raised an eyebrow at his ex-partner.

"Asura is the God of Madness, and Grace is a Kishin too, so..." The Weapon paused, glaring hard at Stein, who was calmly lighting his cancer-stick.

"Then what is Grace the goddess of?" Spirit spoke deliberately, seeing Stein's expression turn contemplative in the glow of the lighter.

Stein flicked ash off of his coat, fiddled with his glasses, the replied, "Only time will tell us that, Spirit-kun."

**In the Himalayan mountains: **

"Talons number eight, fifty-four, and twenty-one: Report to the Chamber of Flames immediately!" Adena called into the hollowed out stalagmite that led to an intercom-like network of tiny tunnels that allowed the witch to speak to every one of her subjects at the same time.

K2 was thrown into chaos when the Silver Child was discovered to be with Neva. Basilisks and Elementals were thrown into a state of war as preparations were made for the upcoming confrontation.

Adena knew that the deciding factor would be Neva's daughter.

She also knew that there was a good possibility that the Fire Sorceress herself would die.

But only time would tell.

end of chapter six.

**Author's note: **

**Now that I'm back in the swing of things, SOB should be updated on a more regular basis now.**

**Hope you liked chapter six, and reviews are awesome! : D**

**o0o**


	8. Dance of the Bloodbeat part1

**Author's Note:**

**I am sincerely sorry that it took this long to write this chapter. I'll try to update regularly, if my schedule will allow it. This chapter is kinda meh, so I will re-write it at some point.**

**Enjoy, but any unnecessary flames will be used to warm up my Poptarts! o0o**

Chapter Seven- Dance of the Bloodbeat

**Rave's point of view: **

Peeling my face off of the silky pillow, I wondered when exactly I had fallen asleep. I sat upright on the ice couch, shaking the numbness out of my hands. Remembering the War Hawks, I warily checked to make sure I had all of my toes, and thank God I wasn't missing any. Hopping off of the sofa, I stretched my limbs until the muscles quivered with blood flow. Chilly air kissed my skin, and I shivered a little.

That was when I noticed how quiet it had become in the castle. So silent that I could count my individual heartbeats. Scanning the lavishly-furnished throne room, I could see no other living creature was anywhere near. High above my head, even the nests of the War Hawks were empty. The dead aura of this place was starting to make me suspicious. What if this was all a trap?

I called out in a voice that sounded all too tentative, "Neva...?" The echo of my shy tone was the only reply I got.

_Where the hell did everyone go?_

**Grace's point of view: **

I could tell that our presence was already known as soon as the boat's hull wedged into the volcanic sand. It felt as if a thousand gazes were bearing down on our party as we stepped ashore.

_Can you sense Rave's soul, Asura?_

_How can you not? It's like a beacon in the night, but I can't sense the witch's soul._

_Chances are she has Soul Protect on._

The jungle in front of us posed as an ominous barrier. It could hide any number of enemies, and hinder our movements.

Stein, brandishing Spirit in his Death Scythe form, spoke loud enough for the entire group to hear clearly, "The jungle looks like it provides cover, but stay out of there as much as possible. We don't know what kinds of nasty traps this witch will lay for us." The Weapon-Meister pairs nodded, a bit wide-eyed at the possibility of unseen danger.

"What if this witch isn't looking for hostility from the DWMA?" An amused voice questioned, causing my body to stiffen in shock.

Whirling around, I came face-to-face with a young woman with pale ivory skin and livid eyes the same colour as Rave's. The corners of her rose-hued lips turned up in a friendly smile as she extended a hand to me in greeting, ignoring Marie, who was trying to step in between the me and the Ice Witch.

I reached out and clasped her lithe hand in mine, shaking it briskly. Rave's mother purred, "I suppose you are Rave's Meister. She has been waiting to see you, and if you would like, you can bring your friends along too." The luxuriously-dressed woman turned and began to walk through the forest. I followed her, lost in a dazed stupor of my own confusion. I was soon aware of the rest of the group stumbling to catch up with me.

_So what is the Fire Sorceress to do now?_

**Asura's point of view:**

I didn't like the witch one bit, but if Grace was following the Ice Witch into her lair, I would be brave like the girl Kishin also. Besides, Rave was in there. I couldn't just sit here by the boats and do nothing.

I would follow Grace to the ends of time, if that's what she requested of me.

**Shinigami's point of view:**

It was dark. So dark. But I had long since gotten used to the lightless cell, used to the endless night. At least they put this tiny mirror in here before sealing me up, or else I would have totally lost it. So I looked out on the world through this silver window. I watched Asura socialize, watch him experience friendship and happiness, things that he never got the chance to know after I murdered his parents. Then I watched him risk his own life over and over to save Grace. It was such a strange spectacle, to see the once-feared demon god protect the girl Kishin so stubbornly. It was admirable and caused me to look at myself with such shame. Shame for killing those who were of absolutely no harm, shame because I almost lead my students into what would be certain death for many, and shame for lying to so many people who had looked up to me as their leader.

My own son was being merciful, keeping me here in this cell. He could have had me executed, but instead they were just going to lock me up until I had repented my sins. So until then, I would gaze out this little mirror and watch as the world continued around me while I remained isolated.

The island of Hawaii. A beautiful place with amazing people and an interesting culture. I had seen the Kishins arrive on the black sand, and had observed their pleasant interaction with the Ice Witch Neva. Everything seemed to be going smoothly- wait, what was that? Something, a huge storm perhaps, was hurtling towards Hawaii at startling speed. I had to see what it was.

I zoomed in on the encroaching cloud...and stopped, paralyzed with sickening dread.

"Sid!" I bellowed, slamming my white-gloved fists on the door to my prison. The heavy thuds reverberated through the rough stone wall.

The door was flung open by a blue-skinned zombie, whose Weapon was clutched warily in his hand.

"What is it, Death?" He barked at me.

I just pointed at the mirror, whose reflection rippled with the face of Adena.

**Grace's point of view:**

After a relief-filled reunion with Rave, Neva asked us to stay and discuss battle plans. After all, Rave wanted to settle things with her aunt. The Special Forces weren't about to let her do that alone.

"Are you guys hungry?" Rave asked as she leaned nonchalantly over the back of the sofa. She tucked a strand of golden hair behind her ear and gazed at me with what could only be described as undiluted affection. I smiled a little as I nodded, "yes". My stunning Weapon trotted off to the kitchen, her beige cargo pants rustling as she went.

"How nice it is to see you again, Asura-kun." The Ice Witch strode up to the demon lord, who attempted to scoot a bit closer to me on the couch.

"Hello, Neva." Asura remained monotone, letting a few locks of his hair conceal his eyes.

_Do you have a problem with her?_

_No, it is just that she is known for her dislike of Kishins._

_Oh. Let's hope she doesn't hate us._

_Too late for me._

Asura was right, since I could see the slight repulsion in her clear blue orbs whenever her gaze rested upon the demon god.

"And I see that you are not the only demon here, Asura. Would you care to tell me what Grace presides over?" She angled her head a fraction to the left, effectively hiding her pressing stare from the others.

_Preside? What is she talking about?_

_Don't worry about it. You will know at some point._

_Know what?_

"We don't know that yet." Asura growled meanwhile having a very intense staring contest with the rug. Neva crossed her arms with a disappointed sigh, and then strode off to chat with Marie, Spirit, and Stein, who were fidgeting apprehensively. The DWMA students stood clustered like wary sheep in the far corner from the pelt-draped couch.

I was about to attempt getting answers out of the God of Madness when Rave came skidding up to me with a bowl of some sort of fragrant soup, a crystal chalice of water, and garlic bread. I was practically drooling all over the furniture.

_Madness, I never thought I was this hungry..._

_Can I have some of the bread?_

By the time I was able to offer a piece of the bread to Asura, I found he had already eaten three or four slices. He put a crumb-covered hand up in a passively defensive gesture. I rolled my eyes and spooned up the soup, keeping my tray away from the sneaky demon god.

Suddenly, a small fragment of ice plopped into my soup. Droplets of the lavender-hued broth dribbled onto my clothes. Stein cried out in surprise as a fist-size chunk of ice crashed into his shoulder. I leapt up from my seat; the food completely forgotten as the entire frosty throne room began to shake violently, showering us with snow and hail.

Weapons burst into their true forms as we rushed down the foyer to the towering front doors. A violent shove from Asura's scarves and the gate creaked open enough for us to sprint out of the crumbling ice palace. We were soon separated in the thick tropical forest, easy targets to be picked off by the unseen enemy.

Rave in my right hand, I tore through dense jungle underbrush. Snarling shapes streaked through the canopy, and I soon identified them as the basilisks like the ones that I had encountered back at the Death Mansion. Blasting the few creatures that dived down at me, I stumbled out onto the obsidian sand of the beach.

The hot, shifting sand was making it difficult to run as I tried to get as close to the surf as possible, hoping to be able to see farther down the coast that way. The skies above me swirled in a writhing cloud of vibrant colours, the immense conglomeration of thousands of basilisks. Their screeching grew to such intensity that it pierced my mind with agony like nothing I had ever felt before.

_Grace, shake it off! Here they come!_

I pushed through the pain to see a group of the winged reptiles hurtling towards me in a V-formation. Gnashing toothy jaws, they closed in on me at breakneck speed. I sprang up to intercept the lead creature as it passed by me. Thrusting my vajra through its feathered back, I kicked up at the basilisk that had circled back to me. I landed a solid blow on the beast's neck, breaking its windpipe and then following up with a slice to the throat. Red gushed onto me from the reptile's slit jugular as a bolt of light blue flashed in my peripheral vision. The remaining basilisks suddenly found themselves outnumbered by icy-looking birds with talons like throwing knives. The snowy hawks viciously clung to the plumed lizards, tearing them apart as they thrashed in the salty air.

When the soles of my feet touched the damp sand, I was aware of Asura's presence just behind me. Whirling around, I immediately inquired, "Where is everyone?"

The God of Insanity had his garnet eyes trained on the skies as he replied , "Stein, Death Scythe, and Marie are on the northern side of the mountain's base. The students are scattered around the island."

_Hey, Grace, do you think you can handle yourself without a Weapon?_

_Yeah, why do you ask?_

_I want to be the one to defeat Adena._

_Who is going to wield you?_

_My mother._

_Then you can go. But please don't do anything reckless!_

My Weapon shot out from her vajra form and bounded off into the jungle. An ear-splitting crack and she rose up through the twisted trees on her own shadow. I watched her thin form disappear as she flew towards the volcano.

And then we were descended upon by the horde of basilisks.

**Northern side of the volcano, 3****rd**** person:**

Stein slashed through as many of the avian-reptiles as he could handle, but there seemed to be an endless plethora of the beasts. Wave after wave they attacked, slowly sapping the group's stamina. It was clear that if they did not receive back-up soon, the handful of DWMA forces would perish.

Then there was a break in the swarm of feathered bodies. The mad scientist took this opportunity to breach the wall of basilisks and stagger out onto the beach. Blood oozing from a particularly nasty gash in his shoulder, the older Meister leveled his heart rate and turned back just as Marie hurdled over a fallen tree and slammed through the wall of winged reptiles. The Pulverizer was in much worse condition than Stein, her black-and-yellow attire stained with copious amounts of blood from a bite wound on her side.

All of a sudden, the mass of whirling teeth and claws vanished.

Marie clutched her side, panting as she cautiously surveyed the area. Seeing no enemies, she allowed herself some rest by sinking onto the dark sand.

"Will you be okay, Marie?" Stein kneeled next to his partner, worry showing in the eyes beneath his glasses.

The Death Scythe smiled weakly, "I can heal myself in no time. Find the students and make sure they are safe."

Stein turned his attention back to the current problem, but the entire time he wondered where the basilisks went.

**Grace's point of view:**

It was like fending off a swarm of killer bees. At least, that was because my head was clouded with worry for Rave. The only reason I wasn't killed immediately was because Asura was a great at multitasking. Ripping the creature that was attacking my leg off me with one scarf, another swinging one of the basilisk's bodies around like a wrecking ball, while throttling countless other beasts. Even counting Bashura, he was still not capable of fending off every single scaly bird.

_Why did I let Rave go off on her own? She is going to get hurt-_

_Stop worrying! _

_But what if Rave-_

_Do you want us to die?_

The force in Asura's voice knocked me to my senses, and I swallowed my concern and opened up my mind to the Madness Wavelength. The insanity sucked me in instantly, and I found myself casually snapping the neck of the nearest feathered beast. The viscous lunacy raged through me as I ducked around the demon god's scarves to crush every basilisk that dared get in the range of my bare feet and ungloved fists.

But it wasn't just madness inside of me. There was something else, something that was connected to the mindless recklessness. It was the roar of the battle, the heightened senses that come from being in the heat of combat.

And all I had to do was move along to my heartbeat, to follow the swiftest instinct. I listened to my own tempo, the rhythm of the Bloodbeat. I had no heed to pain. Just the twisty, elegance of the dance of war. It was beyond the need to devastate the opposing forces, more than the drive to conquer. It had a primitive ambiance that awakened subconscious feelings, of which humans rarely touch on, except when their body is brimming with adrenaline and the craving for destruction.

Whatever this feeling was, it was affecting Asura. His attacks were wild and unpredictable, each blow decimating the pressing mass of creatures. It took all my concentration to stay out of his way.

I lost track of time. All I knew was strike, step, dodge, twist away from Asura's attack, strike, leap, twist. It was a perpetual cycle of slaughtering. My clothes were heavy with blood, but no, not my blood. The crimson of thousands of flying creature drenched my clothes, and that's not all. The blood was in my eyes, the scent of it clogged my nose, and the red infected the deepest crevices of my mind.

It was blindingly clear what I was the goddess of.

Slowly, my breathing grew ragged and my lungs burned vaguely. The heaviness of fatigue sunk into my limbs. The adrenaline was growing stale. My movements became choppier and sluggish.

Just then, something that looked like a spiny shadow landed next to Asura. I shot towards it, but paused in confusion when the dark thing began to beat away the basilisks.

**Asura's point of view:**

The ranks of basilisks had diminished surprisingly thanks to Grace's developing power, but it became evident that she couldn't sustain the Bloodbeat for very long. The girl Kishin was losing strength rapidly, and Adena was still undefeated.

_There is a very good chance we could be overwhelmed once Grace's Bloodbeat wears off. But I shouldn't be thinking in the middle of-_

**He **had come.

The basilisks targeted the new threat straight away. Descending upon the cloaked figure with tooth and fang, they were flung away as is they were mere flies. That was when I sensed a change in the morale of the basilisks, and the beasts closest to me and the Reaper began to rear back in growing terror, pushing other basilisks out of the way so that they could escape.

The air that was teeming with feathered monsters just moments ago was now emptying and soon the panicked creatures had shot off in all directions, their only wish being that they should survive, without regard of Adena's orders.

Still tensed even though the threat had now passed, I glanced up at Grace, who was crouched atop one of my scarves that was stretched into the sky. With her hair flying around her and her hands bent like claws, she was truly intimidating. The Bloodbeat still echoed in her molten eyes, but it was evident that her body was drained and I could feel her trembling with exhaustion. A tired smile cracked on her face as she let her guard drop.

But there was still the matter of Shinigami, who had appeared like an oasis to a thirsty adventurer, just when he was needed. I turned to him now and said, "Who let you out of your prison, and have you brought additional forces with you?"

Shinigami, who was currently wiping the blood off of his hands onto the equally crimson-soaked sand, retorted back, "I would prefer a thank-you, but I wouldn't expect that from you anyway. And yes, there are additional forces here." The Death God seemed to give up on cleansing his hands of the gore, and instead straightened to face me. "Though I have to say it was a pleasure to fight with you again, Asura-chan."

The use of such a friendly name angered me ever so slightly as to make me snap, "You may make everyone else think you have repent, but you will never be innocent in my eyes, no matter what you may do." Feeling that I had said all that could be said, I turned my back to Shinigami and jogged back up the beach. I heard Grace hit the sand and follow after me subsequently, and I acknowledged her with a small nod.

Lord Death, once again, was left to ponder his own doings.

**Rave's point of view:**

I knew that I would be next to useless without a Meister, so I sought out my mother in the tangle of vines and colourful vegetation that was speeding underneath my feet. Without Soul Perception, I found it very difficult to locate anyone, let alone Neva. But I did see Stein and Marie, and to know that they were not dead lifted one weight from my conscious. Some of the students were fending off a handful of basilisks, but I shot past them, assuming they could hold their own against a small number of the beasts.

A flash of blue shot into the sky as if to gouge the sun, and at first I was so startled I almost flew backwards. The spear of ice that blasted past me was followed by a wave of fire that would have turned me to cinders if I had not dived out of the way in time. Both attacks had come from somewhere below me, but I couldn't exactly pinpoint where. It all just looked like a mish-mash of greens and browns. Then- there! Two clashing powers, one blazing, the other freezing. I could just barely see them through the foliage. Tucking my arms to my sides in order to avoid losing a limb, I dematerialized my Shadow Board and plummeted head-first through the painful branches of the canopy. The twigs stung my face and tore at my clothes and hair, but I had to keep my eyes open through it all. At first all I saw were leaves and sticks racing past me. Then at last I glimpsed the ground and the battling figures below. My shadow shot out and tied itself around a passing bough, and I snatched my dangling shadow-rope with both hands. The momentum that I had gained during the free-fall caused my arms to almost be wrenched from their sockets when I hit the end of the rope. Not wanting to reveal my presence, I only allowed myself a quiet grunt of pain.

Scalding air mixed with bitterly cold frost rose up from the fight below me and made me sweat and shiver simultaneously. But I brushed it off and heaved myself onto the rough bark. I lay flat on my stomach and waited for a pause in the flurry of red and blue beneath me.

Then all went abruptly quiet.

**3****rd**** person, the battle between the witches:**

Adena could feel her niece's presence above her and knew that the Silver Child was planning to drop down to her mother. If this was to happen, it would all be over, and the fire witch would be lying dead in the jungle.

Neva cast shards of ice at Adena, causing the distracted witch to stumble back as the clear spikes imbedded themselves in the flaming witch. Covered in the splinters of frost, Adena appeared to be made of ice. This realization gave the Fire Sorceress an idea.

Neva, however, had no notion of what her sister was plotting, and was assuming that Adena had given up. "What's wrong?" the Ice Witch's voice dripped with false worry, "I'm sorry if I'm too powerful for you. Do you wish for me to end your misery swiftly now?"

Adena, who had no experience with manipulating ice, attempted to smooth out the crystals that were still piercing her flawless skin. After a stagnant moment where nothing seemed to happen, the fragments of ice melted down and froze into a thin coating of frost that covered Adena from head to toe.

Not getting a reply, and after her sister's unexpected influence over the frost, Neva shouted, "What do you think you are trying to do? You are going to suffocate your fire and then you will be defenseless! Are you trying to kill yourself?"

Adena only snickered as the ice continued to inch up her form, covering her blazing red attire with that of a modest but beautiful dress made of ice. "I will be far from defenseless, as you will soon learn." The former Fire Sorceress outstretched her arms as the coating of solid water shifted and flowed to enrobe her arms in long blue sleeves of thin ice. The two sisters were now almost identical, the only differentiating detail being Adena's heated orange eyes, and even those were soon enveloped in the bright blue that had taken over the rest of her form.

Neva could only watch in disbelief as the transformation was complete. She knew what her sister was going to do, and that realization put a gaping hole in Neva's plan to defeat the Fire Sorceress.

Adena relished the way her sister's determination was stripped away. The imposter goaded, "Let's see who is fit to wield the Silver Child."

**Rave's point of view**

I thought I could hear voices, but I gave up on straining to make out the words over the din of the battles between the DWMA students and the servants of Adena.

A mishmash of thoughts fought for room in my conscience. Should I sneak down to see what has happened? Or should I just go ahead with the ambush plan? What if one of the witches has already been defeated? I shook my head vigorously before I eased my way down the abrasive tree trunk. I was about thirty feet above the forest floor, where on teensy mistake could earn me a few broken bones at the least. I anxiously shifted my weight onto another branch.

That was my mistake right there.

Too absorbed in watching the foliage beneath me, I did not notice that the dead branch I had placed my weight on had started to give way. Then there was a hollow crack, and by the time I had registered the noise and what it meant, the leaf-littered ground was rushing up to me like a speeding train. I only had time to let out a strangled yell before my right shoulder collided with the yielding ground. Despite the think covering of dead leaves and soft soil, I still felt a grinding crack when my body met the forest floor.

The initial pain didn't come until I had pulled myself into a semi-upright position. _Shit..._ My right shoulder felt numb and when I attempted to make a fist with my right hand, pain surged through the limb in a wave that temporarily halted my breathing. The almost unendurable agony ended when I let my right arm go limp, my twitching fingers brushing the moist ground.

My plan to sneak up on Adena had backfired. I was immobilized on the forest floor, the worst place to be. I clenched my jaw uneasily at the thought of being out in the open.

_If Adena doesn't find me, one of her pets will._

The dappled pattern of shadows cast onto the ground by the dense leaves overhead seemed to turn the colour of dried blood. Panic rose like a flock of birds inside my chest. I had to move, had to get somewhere higher. My right arm was noticeably stiffer. I couldn't climb in this condition and my shadow seemed disoriented. It pooled at my feet, swirling, as if it couldn't decide where to go or what to do.

A soft padding noise and the brushing aside of branches came from somewhere behind me. I tensed and pivoted ever so slightly so I could look without making any noise myself. The noise halted and so did my heart, for just a second.

Because before me stood my mother and her duplicate.

end of Part One of chapter 7.

o0o

**Author's Note:**

**See? Bleh. While I've been busy with high school and sharpening my drawing skills, my writing got a bit rusty. :P **

**-on a less important note- Me and a bunch of my FF friends have DeviantART accounts, so I recomend getting one yourself or friending us. A link to my acount is posted on my profile, please check it out and ignore the old, crappy art in my gallery. XD **

**Next on my list of priorities: Finishing my part of the co-fic. (because I have to make mental notes on my chapters so my readers can pester me about it so I don't slack off XD.)**


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